Water Inlet Valve

The washing machine would only fill with cold water. This could be a problem with the controls, the wiring or the valve where the external hoses connect. Various tests, which only those with the proper skills & equipment should perform, revealed that the water valve hot side was not opening. UNPLUG the washing machine before doing any work and especially before opening any access panels. NOTE: Label all fasteners & other connections you remove so you know where they should go back. WITH the Washing Machine UNPLUGGED from the wall outlet, I unscrewed the external hot & cold hoses (make sure the water is turned off first!). I unscrewed the panel that holds the valve in a recess in the back of the machine. On this machine, the panel pulls out of the back with the valve attached to it. So I pulled the panel/valve assembly out of the recess and disconnected its electrical connectors (double-check the washing machine is unplugged before doing this). I also disconnected the internal hose that leads from the valve. Finally, I detached the valve from the panel. Installation is the reverse of removal, although it is a good idea to use a new spring clip or hose clamp, whichever you have, to attach the internal hose to your new valve. Once the valve assembly is properly installed, connect your external hoses, double-checking for hot & cold sides carefully, turn the water on and check for leaks. When all that is ok, plug the washer in and test it.

After first unplugging the washer and shutting off the water to the washer I slid the washer away from the wall. It was a tight cramped space and difficult to get behind it. Most of the time replacing the water inlet valve was spent getting into and out of the work area to get tools and cleaning up a few years of dirt under the washer and water leaking from the hoses after they were removed. The valve removal and re-installation of the new one was pretty straightforward.Just a 3 screws 2 electrical connectors and three hoses. The water inlet hoses were frozen on the old valve and required a wrench to free. I also needed to replace the hose washers which fortunately I had as spares for my garden hoses. I replaced the solenoid leads directly from the old to new valve so as not to get that wrong. Removing the outlet hose clamp was tricky- I needed a fat wrench to depress all the tines and slip it off. Fortunately I was able to reuse it. After securing the mounting screws and tightening the inlet hoses with a wrench just until I met some resistance, I turned the power and water back on and prayed there were no leaks. None- back in business.

The trouble-shooting section on this website described the above problem and suggested that the proper course of action was to replace the water inlet valve, which I ordered and replaced. Replacement of this part was quick and easy.

Turned off water supply and disconnected hoses. Removed rear cover where water valve was located. Marked and unplugged wires to valve along with interior hose connected to valve. Unscrewed two screws holding valve to rear cover. Installed new valve with all the above procedures in reverse. Very easy repair that saved us slot of money in service call fees!

After replacing the parts the machine is back to normal water flow.

Turn off water. Disconnect hoses from washer. Remove drain hose from plumbing drain in wall. Catch water from all three hoses in plastic tub. Remove two 5/15 machinve screws holding inlet valve cover/mount plate. Remove fill hose by compressing hose clamp ends with pliers. Remove electrical connections. Reverse to install. Easy as pie!

I disconnected both water hoses from the back of the machine. I then unscrewed the panel that holds the water inlet valve. After disconnecting the two electrical connections from the valve and replacing it with the new unit, the job was done.

When selecting a cold cycle, the inlet valve would allow for slow water flow resulting in 15+ minute tank fill times.

I unplugged the washer, disconnected all water sources.

I removed the 3 screws holding the water inlet value and cover. Disconnected all cabling and water tubing. Replaced valve, reconnected all cabling and reinstalled.

While I was doing the repair on the inlet value. I replaced the hose washer and also installed a screen kit at the home water valve. The home is supported by a well and at times sees sedimentation in the water which could have sparked the initial issue to begin with.

I did clean the old water inlet valve once before which fixed the problem temporarily. It was time to replace the entire part.

This corrected the issue.

The repair man shouldnt have opened his big mouth. He told me exactly what the problem was over the phone, but said he couldnt get to it for a few days. 20 minutes later I found the part and overnighted it to my house. Removed the back panel with a few screws. Couldnt have been easier.

The valve was leaking. I shut off the water to the machine and unplugged the power supply. I removed the defective valve. I then installed the new replacement valve reconnecting the 3 hoses and the 4 wires to the selenoid. I plugged it in and tried it before I pushed the machine back in place. I had to retighten one of the hose connections due to leaking. The leak stopped and I then pushed the machine back in place.

It saved me some $500.00, the cost of a new machine.